30 Sunday, December 24, 2017 Hawaii Tribune-Herald An international ‘hotel’ at 9,200 feet Warm meals, cozy rooms await astronomers at Hale Pohaku In a state known for its diversity, perhaps no place is more cosmopolitan than Hale Pohaku. The mid-level facility at about the 9,200-foot elevation houses and feeds astronomers and telescope workers from Hawaii Island and across the globe. In the lobby, flags represent the dozen or so countries that take part in astronomy atop Maunakea, some of which, like China and Taiwan, aren’t on the best diplomatic terms. But they come together here just above the inversion layer. For the facility’s cooks, that gives them a good excuse to try new things. “We have all-around-theworld food,” said Alan Hara, food and lodging manager. “If it’s a hit, we keep the recipe.” Most of the telescope crews are from the island, so meals often skew toward local tastes. But he tries to introduce food from elsewhere on a monthly rotation that visitors will find familiar. “In fact, before they come, they will give me recipes if they want,” Hara said. They will serve about 200 meals throughout the day, either in the cafeteria or up at the summit. That starts at about 6:30 a.m. with the first rush from telescope workers. By the time lunch rolls around, they will have meals ready to be delivered atop the mountain, where they are served in a former utility room, as By TOM CALLIS Hawaii Tribune-Herald See HALE Page 31 Photos: HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald Telescope workers grab dinner at Hale Pohaku. Flags of the countries working with the Maunakea telescopes line the lobby of Hale Pohaku. Telescope workers eat breakfast at Hale Pohaku. Wade Yoshizumi, cook, preps food for the telescope workers at Hale Pohaku.
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